Just curious, what do you think?

IMO Fran no, Iola yes.

I have no idea but it would be pretty weird for Rue McClanahan to play a virgin and then immediately head into the role of Blanche Devereaux, who had plenty of sex.

I have no idea but it would be pretty weird for Rue McClanahan to play a virgin and then immediately head into the role of Blanche Devereaux, who had plenty of sex.


Even though Fran seemed pretty well the opposite of Blanche in every way, Fran seemed to have a little bit of a wild side to me, so I'd say she's been with at least some one.

Originally Fran was supposed to be more like Blanche, but since Naomi was on the show they thought it wouldn't be good to have 2 such similar characters.

I had heard that about Fran and Naomi before.

Rue was near 50 at the time, so I hope for her sake, she got laid. LOL! I think Beverly Archer was much younger.

Fran wasn't supposed to be "more like Blanche" she was simply supposed to be a force to be reckoned with---a match for Mama to go head-to-head with. But then they created the daughter-in-law role to go up against Mama instead.

It's very obvious Iola is a virgin (e.g. see "Desperately Seeking Anyone"). Fran could be (it wasn't uncommon for "old maids" with old-fashioned backgrounds to remain virgins) but that's left more ambiguous...it's up to the viewer to define her relationship with Charlie Hagenbush and to assume what she did that week she spent in Chicago that she would never discuss with Thelma.


it would be pretty weird for Rue McClanahan to play a virgin and then immediately head into the role of Blanche Devereaux, who had plenty of sex.

Not weird just acting...just like how Betty went from playing her most obnoxious rotten character to then playing her character with the biggest sweetest heart of a whole series (Ellen and then Rose).

It's their own damn business if they were still virgins. Haha--I'm just kidding!

I like to think Fran "had a good time" the week she spent in Chicago (that's spoken about in her diary).

And, as far as Iola, that Norwegian sailor in Hawaii was kinda hot in a geeky kinda way which was prefect for Iola! You never know what happened. She may have gotten "lei'd" in Hawaii.

Fran could be (it wasn't uncommon for "old maids" with old-fashioned backgrounds to remain virgins) but that's left more ambiguous...it's up to the viewer to define her relationship with Charlie Hagenbush and to assume what she did that week she spent in Chicago that she would never discuss with Thelma.


In my opinion, Fran probably was. She seemed to go out on dates, but seemed like she was the kind of person to never let the guy go too far. like when her boss wanted to be more than her boss, she showed she had some good morals. I know that he was married, but it does show some scruples on her part.
Another reason is because of her "smut"(as Thelma calls it) romance novel she was writing. I know that sounds contradictory to equate that with being a virgin, but, I think, many virgin women have that "fantasy" life they like to think about, even if, or because, they don't live it, but they like to fantasize about things like that. Or else romance novels wouldn't sell that well.

Oh, and as for the "missing page" of her diary when she went to Chicago, I think she mentioned that just to razz Thelma, because she knew Thelma probably was the kind to go in and read through it. She even alluded in her diary to Thelma doing that very thing.

I agree with everyone who said yes about Iola and no about Fran. I don't think age had anything to do with it, either. Even though Fran was unmarried and lived with Thelma, I think she had a lot more life experience in general than Iola; mostly because Iola didn't seem, or care to get out much.

In my opinion, Fran probably was. She seemed to go out on dates, but seemed like she was the kind of person to never let the guy go too far.

Yes and as an "old maid spinster" she was so much fussier and uptight and morally judgmental than Thelma which gives weight to the virgin theory of her; she even dressed uptight. Plus she was utterly horrified at the thought of her sister "going off to a cabin by a lake" for a weekend.

Oh, and as for the "missing page" of her diary when she went to Chicago, I think she mentioned that just to razz Thelma, because she knew Thelma probably was the kind to go in and read through it. She even alluded in her diary to Thelma doing that very thing.

I don't know...she had to stay 2 whole extra days because of a "punctuation seminar"? haha And she left that entire week blank...interesting. But her behavior and attitudes we saw are certainly more virginal.

Bump.

Anyways, I’m pretty sure Iola was a virgin, seeing as the woman couldn’t even be in the presence of a man without passing out. But I doubt Fran was. In fact, in the episode Mama’s Boyfriend, I believe she said something along the lines of “I’m unmarried, but I prefer to play the field.” And in other episode she said that “she found the male physique to have a certain grace and symmetry.” I just think Fran was more nervous than virgin-like, but Iola was definitely both.